Cutting Board

Wenge, Basswood, Padauk cutting board

Cutting boards are pretty straightforward. They can be simple like this one or very complicated (just check Pinterest.)

What you will need

The wood I used is wenge (the dark wood), basswood (the light colored wood), and Padauk (the red wood.)

Glue. I used Titebond type III because its waterproof.

Sealant. I used Butcher Block Conditioner. Its available at Woodcraft or on Amazon, and I'm sure more places.

Tools. I used a table saw, planer, router and router table, and sand paper.

How to do this project

1

Determine the size (I made mine 12" x 16".) Calculate the size of each piece and cut them to length and width on a table saw.

2

Glue the strips together. You'll need clamps to hold it together. I highly recommend the silicone mat from Rockler for the glue up. I used wax paper between the cutting boards and two scraps on the ends to make sure it stayed square. You need at last six clamps for this size.

3

I ran it through my planer to smooth the top and bottom. This is where I ran into a huge snag. I originally made it 12 1/2 inches wide. But my planer will only handle 12 inches. (I honestly thought it would do 13 inches.) So after many runs through the planer and it not getting smooth, I figured out the problem and had to shave a quarter inch off each side. Moral: know the size limit of your planer.

4

I used a router with a round over bit to round the edges.

5

Sand it smooth.

6

Apply the conditioner. I just followed the instructions on the bottle. The picture shows what the conditioner does. The one on the right is before it's added. The left one has it. The conditioner is a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil. It's food safe.

Also, I am going to see if I can finish all my wood projects with hemp oil. It should be fantastic except when you need uv protection. Then I will use tung oil. Though nothing wrong with a weathered look